Friday, February 26, 2010

Got this in an email from a friend. I don't know who to give credit to.

SATAN'S MEETING:

Satan called a worldwide convention of demons.

In his opening address he said,

"We can't keep Christians from going to church."

"We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth."

"We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their saviour."

"Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken."

"So let them go to their churches; let them have their covered dish dinners, BUT steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ.."

"This is what I want you to do," said the devil:

"Distract them from gaining hold of their Saviour and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!"

"How shall we do this?" his demons shouted.

"Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he answered.

"Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow."

"Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles."

"Keep them from spending time with their children."

"As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!"

"Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice."

"Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive." To keep the TV, VCR, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly."

"This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ."

"Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers."

"Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day."

"Invade their driving moments with billboards."

"Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services and false hopes.."

"Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so their husbands will believe that outward beauty is what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their wives. "

"Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night." "Give them headaches too! "

"If they don't give their husbands the love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere."

"That will fragment their families quickly!"

"Give them Santa Claus to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of Christmas."

"Give them an Easter bunny so they won't talk about his resurrection and power over sin and death."

"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive."

"Have them return from their recreation exhausted."

"Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God's creation. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and movies instead."

"Keep them busy, busy, busy!"

"And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small
talk so that they leave with troubled consciences."

"Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Jesus."

"Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause."

"It will work!"

"It will work!"

It was quite a plan!

The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busier and more rushed, going here and there.

Having little time for their God or their families and friends. Having no time to tell others about the power of Jesus to change lives.

I guess the question is, has the devil been successful in his schemes?

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

We first heard about the Titanium Rib Project right after Kaedra was born. (if you don't know Kaedra's story, you can catch up here) We were very blessed that she was moved to a hospital where the doctors were familiar with the project. About 4 years before Kaedra was born, a little girl was born with Jarcho Levin Syndrome at this same hospital and her mother had researched and found the rib project. Because the doctors were acquainted with this other little girl, they immediately informed us about the Titanium Rib Project and started getting us ready for it.

Kaedra has benefited greatly from the titanium ribs. (VEPTR=Verical Expanding Prosthetic Titanium Ribs) Before she had them she had little lung function on her left side. Furthermore, although we didn't know it at the time, since her diaphragm didn't have a rib to attach to, her organs had all pushed up into the lung area further complicating her lung ability. Dr. Smith and Dr. Campbell discovered this about her organs and when they implanted the ribs they also reattached her diaphragm and moved her organs into the proper place. Immediately after the surgery, Kaedra's lung capacity was increased by 60%. The person monitoring her lung function said he is always amazed at these surgeries and at the incredible results.

Right now Kaedra has to continually have surgeries to keep her growing and keep the lung cavity expanding so her lung can continue to grow. There are new strides being made in the research where soon they will not have to do surgery to lengthen the rods - instead the expansion will be done with magnets. They will still have to have major surgeries to replace the rods (when they are fully expanded and need the next size) but it will be wonderful not to have to have surgery and yet still get expanded!

Most "rib kids" have the surgery every 6 months. Our doctor is more conservative and doesn't believe that Kaedra needs the surgeries as often. We don't necessarily agree with him and are hoping to find a new doctor soon. At this time she hasn't had a surgery in a year and a half. The pulmonologist that we just met in the hospital said that he agrees with us. The more surgeries she has now, the larger her lung area will be when they have to discontinue the expansions.

When Kaedra is fully grown (around 12 or so) they will no longer lengthen her rods. Different doctors do different things. One thought is to fuse the spine. Another is to leave the rods in. Our doctor is not discussing this with us at this time. He says by the time she is that age they will probably have new ideas and theories.

We are so very grateful for Dr. Smith and Dr. Campbell. Dr. Smith died about 2 years ago and is sorely missed. Dr. Campbell has moved from the San Antonio hospital to Philadelphia. They are wonderful men that have saved so many lives with their "out of the box" thinking.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Kaedra still gets tired out very easily. Emily and I went to see her and she tired out after about 20 minutes.

Michael met the new pulmonologist today. He liked him a lot. Said he sounded like Doofenschmertz, though. We are switching over all of our care to OKC. I guess it's about time.

It's hard to get a new pulmonologist. Dr. Carey has been Kaedra's dr. since she was 6 weeks old.

One of the things I like about him is he knows how far she has come and how far we expect her to go.

I don't like it when Kaedra is referred to as "one of these kids"

No kids should be referred to as "these kids." They are all individual!

We are going to be meeting our new pediatrician next week. For some reason I am excited. I know nothing about her.

I am so thankful Michael's work is being so understanding. I am praying that it does not affect his ability to be promoted.

I am thankful that our house is going to be sold by the end of next week. I am also feeling home-less and sad.

I love Oklahoma City, I really do.

I miss my friends in Tulsa and Broken Arrow.

I never saw them much anyway. But it was nice knowing they were there.

I wonder how long it takes to feel at home in a new place.

I wonder if it has more to do with friends and church and social activities than knowing your way around.

I don't want Brittany to get too comfortable being a "loner." I think she might be. (although she is hardly ever actually alone.)

I think I might be too.

This school year has been very odd and trying.

I think we will have to school through the summer this year.

We usually do anyway.

I wonder if I could go to OCHEC. I wonder if I will try.

my parents want to visit in March. I forgot to tell my family. That's more time off of school.

we may be starting our next school year in October at this rate.

Just kidding.

We want to find a new church. Lifechurch didn't work out for us. Too big. We were lost in the crowd. Brittany didn't feel like she was fitting in with the youth either.

It is hard to think of going to a new church without Michael going with us. (He works most Sundays) We want to find a church but honestly don't know where to start. I would like to go where we know someone so we can at least not be totally lost.

They are building a LifeChurch in Yukon. We are excited. It is going to be smaller and since it is just opening, not as intimidating. We would go there, but it isn't opening until sometime later this spring. I would like to get involved somewhere before that.

I want Kaedra to come home but I want her to be better when she does. She still worries me right now.

my toes came through my crocheted slippers. I was very bummed.

how come some people drop you like a hot-cake when you move away?

I empathize too much sometimes with characters in books. I have to stop reading for awhile and step back. Or read non-fiction.

I love reading my bible. I am too much of a perfectionist about it though. I don't just pick it up and read. I want to have quiet, be in my comfy spot, with my highlighters and pen, my notebook and be uninterrupted. HA!

I am very good at praying though. I pray all the time. Love to pray. And not a perfectionist about it.

I like Facebook. It has been nice to get back in touch with old friends and make new ones. I really like the interaction.

How come someone who really reallly liked me on Facebook would meet me in person and not like me? Weird. I am very much myself on Facebook.

I used to wear lots of masks. Mask for parents, mask for friends, mask for church, mask for inlaws, etc, etc. I don't wear masks anymore. I yam what I yam.

I don't always agree with people. But I am a lover not a fighter. I would rather take things to prayer than to their face.

I am not part of any agenda. I am not a kool-aid drinker. I think what I think. It doesn't always fit into some nice, neat, comfortable box, though.

Sometimes I think people just don't have room for new friends. or time. or energy. or whatever it takes for "proper care and feeding of friends."

I think there are different levels of friends. Best Friends, Close Friends, Good Friends, Friends...

I have been blessed a few times to have awesome best friends that I was able to really do things with and our husbands clicked, our families clicked, our lives clicked, etc. Like the song says, "I had the time of my life..."

I mourn the loss of those friendships.

Right now I have "phone friends" Don't get me wrong. I love them! Just wish we were nearer.

I am still trying to come up with ideas for making money from home. The ideas keep coming. The problem is the time and energy needed. I know when the idea is from God, I will also get the time and energy.

I used to take FastTrack. Loved that stuff. Energy in a bottle. So what that it could explode your heart? Details, details.....

When I don't have a chance to talk to my friends, I talk to myself. A lot. Or I talk to my friends in my head. Who needs real friends? I can just make up conversations.

I had someone read my blog from Nigeria. She seems very sweet. I need to write her back. I need to write a few people back. I am a perfectionist about that too...always waiting until the right moment when I will have all the time I need. Double HA!

I have some VEPTR kids on my heart. They are nearing the age when they no longer grow and decisions need to be made. Will the rods be taken out? Will they fuse their spines? How will that affect them in the long run? I am praying that there are more choices when Kaedra is that age.

I love Susan Joyce...Penless Writer. Just thought you should know. She and her husband are just WONDERFUL people. I miss them too. And she reads my blog. Thank you Susan!

God gave me my focus words for this year. I will share them later. I love when I hear Him!

I have a new friend, Shirley, that I really, really like and she has had a rough week. I have been praying for her and I hope that she is surrounded by the Joy of the Lord and that He is her strength!

I need to go to bed but I could keep doing this stream of consciousness thing all night.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Haven't had my iphone with me for the past two days, so I don't have any gratitude pictures. Doesn't mean I am not thankful, though! I have plenty to be thankful for...

Our whole family (minus Michael) has gotten some horrible virus that is running around. It started with Emily and just affected her as a cold. Kaedra got it next, starting with a high fever and then a cough. We took her to Tulsa last Thursday to see the dr and make sure she was okay. The doctor did a culture, said her lungs sounded good and sent her home on some antibiotics. Friday Kaedra wasn't doing too well, so we took her to a hospital here in OKC. They said that she had a spot of pneumonia, but they sent her home with some more meds. Over the weekend, I had a few bad days of coughing and fever, too. Ethan didn't want to be left out so he joined us. By Monday morning, I was really uncomfortable keeping Kaedra home. I couldn't tell if her lung sounds were getting worse (I am not really good with the stethoscope) and I knew she just wasn't getting better. She was getting very worn out with all the coughing too. Brittany woke up sick as well.

That morning, Michael took Kaedra to the Children's Hospital in downtown OKC and they admitted her. They couldn't tell if the pneumonia was still there, but they said it had not gotten worse. They decided to keep her just to make sure she didn't get worse and that we had support if she did. Michael's work has been VERY supportive about him having time off. They even brought some food for him up to the hospital today. It has been such a blessing to have him at the hospital, so I could stay home with the other kids.

Early this morning, Ethan woke up with a fever of 103.9. I used ibuprofen and wet washcloths to bring it down. I took him to the doctor and he has some sort of throat infection. She gave him an antibiotic and some nasal steroids. Twice today his fever has gone over 104. On top of that, I thought I was getting better, but I started having fevers again today. Hoping it is just from lack of sleep (Have gotten all of about 10 hours of sleep in 3 1/2 days) and that I will be better tomorrow. I need to take Michael some clothes and his meds and I would love to see Kaedra. (although we don't know if I WILL see her, we don't want to make her sad that I can't stay)

That being said, there are still plenty of blessings:
Blessed that Michael hasn't gotten sick
That Michael is able to be at the hospital with Kaedra
That his job is being understanding
That we homeschool so the kids aren't missing lots of school (well they are, but we will make it up)
That Kaedra hasn't had a bad bout of pneumonia this time around
That a friend of Michael's from high school (that he hasn't seen since) got to go up to the hospital and reconnect with Michael and pray over Kaedra today
That Kaedra is getting such great care at Children's Hospital.

Thank you Lord for all of our blessings! You are an AWESOME God and we LOVE you!

Brittany cooked us an awesome dinner tonight. Took care of everything,start to finish: poached salmon with lemon and garlic butter, steamedbroccoli and cauliflower, and a lemon bar dessert. Absolutelydelicious. I am so proud of her.

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Papa Murphy's.....thank the Lord. And we even had a coupon. :-). Wait.Are you remembering that I said I was going to start the South BeachDiet??? Okay, well don't. It lasted a whole day and a half beforehubby nixed it. As I said, thank the Lord for Papa Murphy's. We ALLneeded it tonight!

I am thinking...if Ethan doesn't quit screaming, he will wake Brittany up. Which might not be a bad thing since it is 8:15

I am thankful for...being able to get up BEFORE the kids

I am wearing...capri sweats and a lavendar long sleeve shirt

I am remembering...what it's like to be prepared for school

I am going... nowhere today. Going to enjoy the beautiful snow from the warmth of my house.

I am currently reading...Becoming the Woman I Want to Be by Donna Partow and Void by Mark Mynheir

I am hoping...hubby gets off early again

On my mind...redeeming the time

Noticing that...my littles really need a bath

Pondering these words...

Having once tasted the pleasure of inaction, you begin to like and prefer it to action. In satisfying this desire, you will little by little form a habit of inaction and laziness, in which the passions for doing nothing will possess you to such extent that you will cease even to see how incongruous and criminal it is; ...except perhaps when you weary of this laziness, and are again eager to take up your work. Then you will see with shame how negligent you have been and how many necessary works you have neglected, for the sake of the empty and useless 'doing what you like'. Lorenzo Scupoli

From the kitchen... nothing yet..it's our first day of South Beach Diet. Starting off with omelets.

Around the house... getting ready for school to start

One of my favorite things~a teeny glass angel my mom brought me from Germany. It was a Christmas present. It is in a small ruby box. It is actually too small to leave out, so I have to open the box and peek in at it to enjoy it.

Friday, February 05, 2010

Thursday, February 04, 2010

I am starting to feel a turn-around in my life. We have been hit with some bad news the last two days and it hasn't stolen my joy. (My joy-o-meter isn't up to it's old standard, but it IS getting better) I have been praying even more and with more hope and faith.

It's funny that I'm writing this tonight, because I honestly am not feeling very well and have been snapping at the kids tonight. I went to the doctor last week for my headaches and she gave me three meds to help me. I haven't seen them really help, but they have caused me to walk around in a fog. I was having a bad headache this afternoon and took one again and am feeling testy, tired and grumpy tonight. No more of those pills for me.

However, tonight aside, I really do see myself as more joyous right now. I thank everyone that has prayed for me. It has been a loooong road, but THE LIGHT is always near and I am drawing nearer to it!!

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Okay, I'm cheating...not my pic. But I had a GREAT night playing Scrabble with Brittany and Michael. Brittany beat us pretty squarely. No more Mrs. Nice Guy for her anymore (we play online continually) I'm pulling out all the stops now! :-D

Contact Me!

Please pray with us concerning:

I have several friends who need their families to have a steady income. They need better jobs or more permanent and full time jobs. Please pray that they will be able to take care of everything until that happens and that they will find good jobs soon!